Chapter 19

Time slips away like sand through fingers, silently entering May. In the transition from spring to summer, the campus is lush and verdant, the sunlight begins to scorch, and the air is filled with the intense, sweet fragrance of gardenias, mixed with the faint anxiety of approaching finals.

The shadow cast by that bicycle accident seemed to gradually fade away thanks to Lü Xiaoyan's meticulous, almost excessive, protection and Qiu Yayu's careful assurances. The scab on her palm scabbed over and slowly fell off, revealing tender new flesh. The abrasions on her knees had also disappeared without a trace. Life was once again filled with classes, the library, the darkroom, and occasional walks and foraging for food, so peaceful that it was as if nothing had ever happened.

However, the string in Lü Xiaoyan's heart that had been unexpectedly plucked never completely relaxed. He became more silent and more vigilant. He would subconsciously walk on the outside of her, keeping the flow of traffic at bay; he would take her phone without explanation when she was crossing the street looking at it, and only return it to her when they reached a safe place; he would grip her wrist tightly on rainy, slippery days, with a force that almost made her feel pain.

Qiu Yayu interpreted his actions as lingering fear and deep concern. Although she sometimes felt he was overly anxious, she felt mostly sweet gratitude for being cherished. She cooperated with his protection, even enjoying it, relishing his clumsy yet incredibly genuine care.

They still went to the darkroom. Lü Xiaoyan began preparing her final photography portfolio, while Qiu Yayu continued to use her rangefinder camera to record what she saw "inside and outside the lens." She photographed his focused profile, outlined by red light, as he developed the photos; she photographed the slight upturn of his lips as he found the ideal angle; she photographed his furrowed brow as he leaned back in his chair, exhausted, taking a short nap... She secretly collected these photos, intending to make them into a new handmade photo album for his birthday.

Everything seemed so peaceful and full of hope.

Until that Friday afternoon.

The sky was overcast, and the muggy air seemed to solidify, foreshadowing an impending downpour. Lü Xiaoyan had a professional lecture she couldn't miss that afternoon. Qiu Yayu had no classes that afternoon and had planned to organize her notes in her dorm, but was unexpectedly called away by the radio station's advisor to discuss details of a special program for next week.

After finishing their discussion, it was already past four in the afternoon when they left the activity center. The sky was growing increasingly gloomy, with low-hanging dark clouds and distant, muffled thunder rumbling in the distance. Qiu Yayu checked the time and remembered that Lü Xiaoyan's lecture should be ending soon. They had previously agreed to go to the newly opened bookstore outside the school that evening.

She took out her phone, intending to send him a message asking where they should meet. However, she discovered her phone had run out of battery and shut down automatically. She sighed helplessly, thinking that since the lecture building wasn't far from the activity center, she might as well just go there and wait for him.

Just then, a slightly hesitant voice sounded behind her.

"Qiu Yayu?"

Qiu Yayu turned around and saw Cheng Hao standing not far away. He was wearing a neatly pressed shirt and trousers, and seemed to have just come from some event, holding a folder in his hand.

"Senior Cheng Hao?" Qiu Yayu was somewhat surprised.

Cheng Hao stepped forward, his usual gentle and polite smile on his face: "What a coincidence. Are you going back to your dorm? It looks like it's going to rain. I happen to be going that way, I can give you a ride." He shook his car keys in his hand, "I'm driving."

Qiu Yayu then noticed a black sedan that looked quite expensive parked not far away. She recognized the logo; it was the same brand as the one she had accidentally scratched last time, just a different model. This connection made her feel slightly uneasy.

"No need, thank you, senior." She politely declined, pointing in the direction of the teaching building, "I'll wait for someone over there."

Cheng Hao glanced in the direction she pointed, his smile unchanged: "Are you waiting for Senior Lü Xiaoyan? I think I just saw him heading towards the school gate from the teaching building. He probably has something urgent to attend to."

He went to the school gate? Qiu Yayu was taken aback. The lecture wasn't completely over yet, was it? Why was he at the school gate? Did something come up?

She had some doubts, but more than that, she felt anxious because her phone was dead and she couldn't contact him. The sky was getting darker, and the thunder was getting closer.

"How about I walk you to the school gate and take a look?" Cheng Hao suggested at the right moment, his tone sincere. "What if Senior Lü is really waiting for you over there, or what urgent matter he has? It looks like it's about to rain."

His words sounded reasonable. Qiu Yayu looked at the overcast sky, which seemed almost dripping with gloom, and hesitated for a moment. She was indeed a little worried about Lü Xiaoyan and wanted to find him as soon as possible. Besides, it was quite a distance from here to the school gate.

“…Well then, thank you for your help, senior.” She finally nodded. She thought to herself, it shouldn't be a big deal to just sit at the school gate and check if Lü Xiaoyan was there.

"No trouble at all, it's just on my way." Cheng Hao smiled and gentlemanly opened the passenger door for her.

Qiu Yayu thanked him and got in. The car was very clean, filled with a faint scent of leather and car air freshener, quite different from the familiar clean soap scent mixed with camera leather and developing fluid that she smelled on Lü Xiaoyan. This unfamiliar, slightly oppressive, refined atmosphere made her feel vaguely uncomfortable.

Cheng Hao got into the driver's seat, fastened his seatbelt, and started the car. The car smoothly drove out of the activity center area and headed towards the school gate.

"I heard you accidentally scratched your car?" Cheng Hao asked casually as he drove. "Is it fixed? If you need any help, I can..."

"It's all taken care of, thank you for your concern, senior." Qiu Yayu interrupted him, her tone somewhat stiff. She didn't really want to talk about that matter, especially with Cheng Hao.

Cheng Hao seemed to sense her resistance, smiled, and didn't continue the topic, instead changing the subject to talk about the radio station.

Qiu Yayu answered absentmindedly, her gaze fixed on the window, searching for Lü Xiaoyan's figure. The car quickly approached the school gate, and she looked carefully but didn't see that familiar figure. Raindrops began to patter sparsely against the car window, leaving winding streaks of water.

"He doesn't seem to be here." Qiu Yayu was somewhat disappointed, and even more worried. Where did he go?

“He’s probably already gone out, or he’s waiting for you somewhere else.” Cheng Hao said, but he didn’t slow down. Instead, he drove straight out of the school gate. “It’s raining harder, and we can’t park here. I’ll take you to the bookstore up ahead. Didn’t you two agree to go to the bookstore? Maybe Senior Lü is already waiting for you there.”

His arrangements still sounded impeccable. Looking at the increasingly dense rain outside the window and the somewhat chaotic school gate entrance caused by the downpour, Qiu Yayu could only nod again. "Okay, thank you, senior."

The car merged into the traffic outside the school. The windshield wipers swung back and forth on the windshield, slicing through patches of blurry water. The sky was as dark as night, with only the occasional flash of lightning bringing a momentary, stark white light.

Looking out the window at the unfamiliar street scene shrouded in torrential rain, Qiu Yayu's unease grew. She suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to hear Lü Xiaoyan's voice, to confirm his location. This inexplicable, unfounded panic made her restless.

At that moment, Lü Xiaoyan, who had just finished his lecture and was hurrying towards the activity center to pick up Qiu Yayu, stood in the pouring rain, looking at the empty meeting place and her unreachable cell phone. His brows furrowed tightly, and a familiar, cold sense of panic once again silently gripped his heart.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier.

---

The air inside the car seemed to freeze. The fragrance became cloyingly sweet and pungent, and raindrops pounded against the windows like rapid, restless drumbeats. Qiu Yayu gripped the seatbelt tightly, her knuckles white, her gaze fixed on the rapidly receding street scene distorted and blurred in the rain.

This is not the way to the bookstore.

Or rather, that's not entirely true. Cheng Hao did drive to the vicinity of the bookstore, but instead of stopping at the entrance, he turned onto a relatively quiet side road and parked under a large tree with lush foliage that could provide some shelter from the rain.

“The rain is too heavy. Let’s wait here for a bit before we go over.” Cheng Hao turned off the engine, turned around, and gave Qiu Yayu an impeccable smile. “Otherwise, you’ll get soaked as soon as you get out of the car.”

His reasons still sounded perfectly plausible. But in Qiu Yayu's mind, alarm bells were ringing wildly. Outside the car window, the rain pounded, but inside, a suffocating silence descended. She could clearly hear her own rapid heartbeat and Cheng Hao's steady breathing.

"No need, senior," Qiu Yayu tried to keep her voice calm as she reached for her seatbelt. "I'll get off here. It's okay to run over."

With a soft click, the sound of the car door locking was particularly clear in the quiet carriage.

Qiu Yayu froze, a chill instantly creeping up her spine from the soles of her feet.

Cheng Hao's smile faded slightly, and he leaned slightly towards her. His eyes, which always held a gentle smile, now revealed a light that felt unfamiliar to her, carrying a sense of scrutiny and pressure.

"Ya Yu," he switched to a more intimate form of address, his voice lowered, carrying a hint of coaxing, "Are you in such a hurry to go find him?"

Qiu Yayu's heart sank, and she instinctively leaned back, pressing herself tightly against the car door. "Senior Cheng Hao, please open the door," she said, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

"What's so great about Lü Xiaoyan?" Cheng Hao seemed not to hear her request and continued, his gaze fixed on her, filled with a hint of incomprehension and a touch of jealousy. "He's so dull. Besides fiddling with that broken camera, what can he offer you? Family background? Future prospects? Or can he be like me, always there for you when you need him?"

His words, like cold, venomous snakes, coiled around Qiu Yayu's nerves. She finally understood his intentions completely. All the previous "chance encounters" and "concern" were not simply the usual care a senior might show to a junior.

"Whether he's alright or not is none of your business." Qiu Yayu forced herself to look him in the eye, her voice still trembling, but her eyes filled with stubborn resistance. "Please open the door, I want to get off!"

Cheng Hao looked at her cheeks, flushed with fear and anger, and at her eyes, which remained clear and bright even in fear. A certain emotion in his eyes deepened. Instead of opening the door, he moved closer, bracing his arm on the back of the passenger seat, almost trapping her in the small space.

“Try me, Ya-yu,” his voice was seductive yet undeniably forceful. “I can give you far more than he can. I know your family isn’t well-off, but being with me will make your future much smoother. Why follow that guy who can’t do anything but take photos…”

"Shut up!" Qiu Yayu interrupted him abruptly, her chest heaving violently, her intense anger even temporarily overpowering her fear. "I won't allow you to talk about him like that! You don't understand him at all! In my heart, he's a thousand times, ten thousand times better than you!"

Her words were like a slap in the face, shattering the gentle mask on Cheng Hao's face. His eyes instantly darkened, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Is that so?" He sneered. "Then if... he saw you and me together, when you 'voluntarily' got into my car, what would he think?"

Qiu Yayu's pupils suddenly contracted as she stared at him in disbelief. He not only had malicious intentions, but also wanted to frame her?

Extreme fear and anger chilled her to the bone. Without hesitation, she reached for the central locking button. Cheng Hao grabbed her wrist with astonishing force.

"Let me go!" Qiu Yayu screamed and struggled, pounding his arm with her uninjured right hand and scratching at him with her nails. Fear unleashed astonishing strength within her.

Cheng Hao winced in pain, letting out a muffled groan, his eyes growing even fiercer. The two wrestled in the cramped car, and in the struggle, Qiu Yayu's forehead accidentally hit the car window with a dull thud, causing her vision to go black for a moment.

Just then, a blinding flash of lightning ripped through the gloomy sky outside the car, followed by a deafening clap of thunder!

The loud noise seemed to jolt Cheng Hao back to his senses. He looked at Qiu Yayu's pale, terrified face, the red mark on her forehead, and the undisguised hatred and fear in her eyes, and his movements froze.

Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration, Qiu Yayu used all her strength to break free from his grip, frantically pounding on the car window and shouting hoarsely into the blurry rain outside, "Help! Help!"

Her voice sounded weak and desperate amidst the torrential rain.

Cheng Hao stared at her, his face ashen, his eyes shifting with complex emotions. Finally, as if he had run out of patience, or perhaps realizing that continuing here was too risky, he abruptly pressed the central locking switch.

"Get out!" he growled, his voice filled with frustration and anger.

The moment the car door locks popped open, Qiu Yayu practically tumbled out of the car, landing heavily on the wet ground. The icy rain instantly soaked her through, but ignoring the pain and cold, she scrambled to her feet and, without looking back, staggered and ran desperately toward the main road.

She dared not look back, running desperately, her lungs throbbing violently like a broken bellows. Rain and tears mingled, blurring her vision. Only one thought occupied her mind—find Lü Xiaoyan! Immediately! Right now!

Cheng Hao sat in the car, watching the slender figure flee in panic and quickly disappear into the rain. He slammed his fist on the steering wheel, and the piercing sound of the horn suddenly rang out on the deserted auxiliary road, only to be swallowed up by the even louder sound of the rain.

With a gloomy face, he started the car, turned around, and quickly drove away.

Qiu Yayu didn't know how long she had been running. Only when she saw the flashing neon lights and the headlights of passing cars at the intersection ahead did she dare to slow down slightly. She leaned against the cold, wet wall beside her, breathing heavily. The icy rain made her shiver all over. The spot on her forehead where she had been hit throbbed with pain, and the place on her wrist where Cheng Hao had grabbed her also stung.

Fear clung to her like a persistent, deep-seated affliction. She hugged her arms, shivering in the torrential rain, like a young animal abandoned in a storm, looking around blankly, searching for someone who could bring her peace of mind.

At that moment, Lü Xiaoyan was braving the heavy rain, searching the activity center and nearby teaching buildings, dialing the number that was always switched off again and again. The panic in her heart spread endlessly like the rain.

He had no idea that the person he was desperately searching for had just escaped from some perilous situation and was now, covered in grime, fear, and coldness, standing on another street corner, seemingly so close yet so far.

Danger, in a way none of them anticipated, had already crept in. And the true storm, foreshadowing the end, awaited in the distant future. The rain at this moment was merely a cold note in the prelude.